Let Us Consider the Facts and Evidence

LET US CONSIDER THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE

May 19, 2017.

Dear Godbrothers, Godsisters, and all devotees:

All Glories to SrilaPrabhupada! Please accept my humble obeisances.

Below please find an excerpt of two key chapters from our upcoming free E-book which I ask all to read carefully (if they are interested in the new evidence that SrilaPrabhupada was poisoned with sky-high levels of cadmium- the arsenic being secondary). This discovery was made in 2002-05, but the final report was only obtained in 2015, and thus the long delay in its disclosure.

I have been following some of the reactions and responses to my recent video about how the scientific forensic breakthrough was made in the private investigation into SrilaPrabhupada’s poisoning.It is clear that many who make public comments on the issue and my video HAVE NOT WATCHED THE END OF THE VIDEO to see the new evidence discovered by the Truth Committee aboutSrilaPrabhupada’s disappearance pastimes, as described in these two chapters.

Aside from the chapters here for your information, please allow me to address a few of the negative responses, which I posit are misunderstandings of the issue due to a lack of knowing the facts and evidence. Some of the misunderstandings are:

(1). THERE CAN BE NO FINAL RESOLUTION TO THE ISSUE WITHOUT AN EXHUMATION

Yes, in many murder investigations, law enforcement will exhume the body to test tissues for poisons. But we have already tested SrilaPrabhupada’s body via his sacred relic hair samples. Three authenticated (by the GBC themselves) SrilaPrabhupadahair samples were tested, and all were found to have sky-high, deadly levels of cadmium, a heavy metal more poisonous than arsenic. There is thus no need to exhume SrilaPrabhupada and we do not suggest such a drastic measure. The hair samples that devotees saved as relics never went into the Samadhi, so they can be tested as parts of SrilaPrabhupada’s body to determine poisoning. Poisoning was verified by these new tests.

(2). THE WHISPERS CAN NEVER BE PROOF OF ANYTHING

Actually, the science of audio forensics is used worldwide by courts of law and law enforcement regularly, and is able to determine the real content of recordings which may be difficult for the subjective human ear to understand. Although hundreds of devotees have clearly heard the poison word in three different whispers, we have also had SEVEN confirmations done by two professional sound studios and five recognized audio forensic laboratories. These are all documented in our upcoming report. The whispers have thus been scientifically certified as real court-worthy evidence. The whispers are not just what we think them to be- they are now what the scientific experts say they are, namely that SrilaPrabhupada’s own caretakers were discussing malicious poisoning in his room just a few days before his departure. The confirmatory hair tests also validate the whispers. But even without the whispers, there is the absolute proof of poisoning in the new hair tests.

(3). WHY REHASH WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SETTLED?

The truth is that the matter was never honestly or satisfactorily settled by the ISKCON leadership, as detailed in Part Six of our upcoming report. The GBC engaged in a fraudulent cover up. Further, new evidence was discovered afterwards, which is presented in our upcoming report. Up to 2000, the GBC claimed that 20 times normal arsenic is not a problem. But then the discovery was made in GBC certified hair samples at a GBC-chosen laboratory that SrilaPrabhupada had about 250 times the normal levels of cadmium in his body (as found in his hair). The story about this discovery is given in my video, which is 54 minutes long, and it seems some have not watched it completely, judging from their comments.

(4). SRILA PRABHUPADA WAS NOT POISONED, AS HE WAS SURROUNDED BY LOVING DISCIPLES

Yes, SrilaPrabhupada was certainly surrounded by loving disciples. But SrilaPrabhupada’s poisoning by cadmium is also a certainty, as shown by the tests on the GBC’s hair samples done in 2002-05. Abhirama, Srutirupa, and other prabhus may not have seen anything untoward while they faithfully served SrilaPrabhupada in his last year, but obviously someone, somehow, did manage to poison SrilaPrabhupada with sky-high levels of cadmium, as proven by the new hair tests. And these deadly levels were maintained from early March to November 1977, at the minimum, a time of at least 8 months. Poisoning is a secretive act that no one expects or detects, even if many loving persons are present. Poison can be introduced unknown to others by many unseen or unnoticed channels. Yes, it is very hard to accept that SrilaPrabhupada was poisoned, and I deeply sympathize with those who cannot bear to entertain the notion even to the extent of refusing to look at the facts. But this is a threshold that each devotee will sooner or later need to face honestly.

Please let us look at the facts and evidence that has been assembled by Balavanta, Naveen Krishna, the GBC themselves, and the Truth Committee’s private investigation. It is all documented in our upcoming free E-book report, of which two key chapters are given below. There are no crazy, envious, deranged, or wacky people involved in making this report on the conclusive evidence that SrilaPrabhupada was indeed poisoned at lethal levels with cadmium (and arsenic). Please try to study a little bit the actual evidence in this matter. Many sincere devotees have persevered to discover the facts in the face of institutional intimidation. It is time all the followers of SrilaPrabhupada get the chance (and take it) to understand the facts and evidence as it is, rather than the party line that SrilaPrabhupada was not poisoned. He was, and scientific proof is now there, beyond any reasonable doubt. My deep apologies for the pain and difficulty these developments may bring to anyone.

Yours in SrilaPrabhupada’s service,

Nityananda das

PART FOUR:

THE FORENSICS BREAKTHROUGH

INTRODUCTION:

After the various stages of the investigation into whether SrilaPrabhupada was poisoned, which ran from 1997 to 2003, the outcome was pretty much a stalemate and dead-end for those who expected further momentum towards truth discovery. The issue had achieved widespread publicity as everyone even remotely associated with ISKCON had heard about the arsenic found in the hair test, the poison whispers, SrilaPrabhupada’s statements about being poisoned, and plenty more. However, there was no sense of finality; speculation and confusion over the evidence was rampant. ISKCON had flatly denied there was even a possibility of credibility in the issue, calling it “beyond absurd,” and refused to discuss it further, deeming it poisonous for anyone’s spiritual welfare. One would hear the zaniest things from people regarding the issue, as no one seemed to understand the real facts. It was impossible, it was the work of Kali, it is blasphemous, it is dangerous, and there is no evidence. ISKCON leadership had gone all-out to discredit “the poison theory.”

It was clear that extended investigation should be done to accumulate more hard evidence and to further the truth. One basic problem was the many faithless devotees who paid no heed to the whispers and even to SrilaPrabhupada’s own words of being poisoned, wanting instead something more “scientific” as court-quality, conviction-style evidence before they would maybe reconsider their denial of a poisoning.

They professed faith in science, not in whispers and SrilaPrabhupada’s last words. So where was the scientific, irrefutable proof that SrilaPrabhupada was really poisoned maliciously?

GBC member and lawyer Balavanta das was disgusted with the GBC’s spurning and dumping of his two year investigative project that had given solid reasons to further investigate SrilaPrabhupada’s poisoning. Instead, the GBC latched onto the prime suspects’ privately produced and financed, sham whitewash book Not That I Am Poisoned(see Part Six), and declared the matter to be over and settled. They said there was no poisoning, and talk of it was banned in ISKCON at the risk of expulsion. ISKCON was not interested in any further investigation. Former GBC member Naveen Krishna das tried to organize some concerned senior devotees to influence the GBC to create an impartial tribunal for a full and honest investigation. This and other efforts failed to generate adequate support and gradually faded into political oblivion.

Someone Has Poisoned Me had really rocked the ISKCON boat, but by a flood of denials and obfuscation, the GBC and gurus had managed to quiet the storm sufficiently to carry on as before. Nityananda das was well aware that he should be concerned for his safety. The evidence had convinced him that SrilaPrabhupadahad actually been poisoned,and this realization penetrated deep into hisheart.He was traumatized, just wanting to go away somewhere, to be alone.

In October 2000, hemoved to the remote Hamakua Coast on the island of Hawaii, telling everyone he was moving to St. Croix in the Caribbean. Only two persons knew where he actually went. After some time of reflection, hedecided that he should continue with the program of fact-finding and research. He began again to examine the loose ends, and after some time, in cooperation with several other team members, they continued with their private investigation.

It is ironic that Part Four would fulfill Tamal Krishna Goswami’s request:

“What is most needed is textual and forensic evidence.We need researchers who can delve into all the materials and establish the truth on the basis of irrefutable facts…”

(Tamal email, December 20, 1997)

Part Four does establish irretutable forensic evidence that SrilaPrabhupada was maliciously poisoned.

CHAPTER 28:

GBC ABANDONS UNTESTED HAIR SAMPLES

“Every month I had the opportunity to shave SrilaPrabhupada’s head with the electric clippers…I was very careful. By Krishna’s grace there was never a mishap… Many devotees were delighted when I distributed SrilaPrabhupada’s hair.” What Is The Difficulty? bySrutikirti das, pg 66

NEED FOR NEW HAIR TESTS

The 1999 neutron activation analysis of SrilaPrabhupada’s hair sample Q-1 by Dr. Steve Morris revealed 2.6 ppm arsenic content, and constituted a big step forward in the poisoning investigation. If further hair tests produced multiple confirmations of abnormally high levels of poisons such as arsenic, the proof of poisoning would be dramatically strengthened.We believed SrilaPrabhupada when he said he was being poisoned; all we needed was proof for the non-believers.

Multiple confirmations would also exclude the suspicions of a small possibility of a fluke test result due to some unknown circumstance. There were perhaps dozens of devotees who had kept samples of SrilaPrabhupada’s hair as sacred keepsakes. Therefore, to do further forensic hair tests, it was necessary to find more authenticated late-1976 and 1977 hair samples which would be available for testing. Thiswas now a top priority for the private investigation.

After the Q-1 test, Balavantadas had sent Dr. Morris two more SrilaPrabhupada hair samples from years previous to 1977, being the only samples he could locate. This was believed to be far before the time when SrilaPrabhupada’s poisoning began. The dramatic downturn in SrilaPrabhupada’s health on Feb. 26, 1977 seemed to be the beginning of the poisoning, so we focused on locating hair samples that had been cut in 1977, not earlier. The two hair samples were:

Sample 1A: Contributed by Sashikaladevidasi of Prabhupada Village in North Carolina. She received it from Yugadharmadas, who received it from Upendradas shortly after it was cut from SrilaPrabhupada’s head in mid-1975. It was 17 pieces of 1 cm in length.

Sample 1C: This one was from 1974, being only 2 pieces of 1 cm in length. Balavanta told Nityanandathat he had gotten this sample from SrutaKirti das, who later confirmed this.

Just before the Mayapur GBC meetings in early 2000, Balavanta das had told Nityananda das that he was reluctant to do further testing after Q-1 unless he could locate some 1977 samples. He thought his 1974 and 1975 samples could be useful for reference, to compare earlier periodswith Q-1’s 1977 arsenic levels, ostensibly comparing the pre-poisoning to the post-poisoning periods. But he found no more 1977 samples, and besides, he was not prepared to pay the $6000 that Dr. Morris was now asking due to having been intimidated by the author of the GBC’s book (by demanding an unknown number of free tests.)

Little did Balavanta know that while he was working on the official GBC investigation, another secret operation was being organized by the primary suspects themselves, or that they had diverted two 1977 hair samples to their own program of orchestrated denials. It is interesting how the section of ISKCON leadership who was aware of only Balavanta’s efforts, awaiting his report, seamlessly and compliantly jumped to adopt the verdict of the secretive suspects’ report in Not That I Am Poisoned. Everyone was relieved by a salvationary dismissal of the poisoning “theory,” and that it was produced directly by the suspects themselves did not matter much to them, as they were apparently not concerned what was truth, but what was politically useful.

Balavanta left his two samples (1A and 1C) with Dr. Morris, who never heard from Balavanta again after 1999. Balavanta was disgusted with the March 2000 GBC cover-up and how he had been shoved aside without notice. He dropped all his investigative efforts, and after Someone Has Poisoned Me was published, all honest investigation into SrilaPrabhupada’s poisoning had come to an end.

However, the quest for the truth should not be dependent on GBC funding or the honesty of the ISKCON leadership, so the private investigative committee decided to push forward in the search for other hair samples. This important business should not be left unfinished. The story continues, as related by Nityananda das himself.

By Nityananda das

GBC CANNOT ORGANIZE THEIR HAIR TESTS

In March 2000 I asked Dr. Morris for cost concessions on a new set of tests, guessing that I could locate at least a few more hair samples. He replied that he would “re-negotiate” the $6000 quote he gave Balavanta and the GBC’s Deva Gaurahari das. He expressed his concern that many “Hare Krishnas” would expect free tests and complicate his academic life, and thus he had felt it necessary to charge a commercial rate. I assured him that I would be his only client and that others would need to arrange their own work, which he was entitled to decline. He agreed, and I told him I would contact him later when I obtained further samples. I was thus encouraged to find them, with the testing arrangements now at the ready.

After putting out queries all around the Vaishnava world for 1976 or 1977 hair samples, we located only a few earlier-dated ones. We already had three pre-76 samples, namely 1A, 1C, and presumably my own hair relic (what remained of it). The search dragged on for a year and a half in vain. It was discouraging, especially when I found several 1977 hair samples that their caretakers were not willing to share or exchange.Yamuna dasi, Satyanarayan das (Library party), HariSauri das- their samples were inaccessible. Offering to trade a few pieces of their 1977 hair sample for my earlier dated hair, they wanted nothing to do with this controversial matter. They took me to be a troublemaker and politely declined to get involved in any way.

Then one day in late 2001, I was studying more closelyNot That I Am Poisoned, becoming intrigued by what I read on pages 318-319:

“At this time (October 1999) we contacted Dr. Morris while trying to locate a lab to analyse a hair sample from Vrindaban… The devotee in charge of the archives in Vrindaban testified that this hair was originally ON the clippers but was removed with a brush and kept in this container… Dr. Morris agreed to do the analysis… he wanted US$6000 to do the work… It then had to be decided if it was justifiable to spend $6000 US of GBC funds… it was decided that, considering the circumstances, it was not justifiable…”

NTIAP continued:

“To allay any fears of a ‘cover-up’, the Ministry for the Protection of ISKCON extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to fund this analysis by Dr. Morris. We will fully cooperate by providing full details of the specimens, which are already at a lab in the US, and what were their origins.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in my mind’s eye. What if somehow these GBC hair samples could be tested? What if they produced further forensic evidence and confirmation of poisoning? Should I volunteer to pay for the tests? And had anyone already taken up this offer? Although I doubted anyone else had, I also wondered why the NTIAP author had even made such an offer? Was it just a bluff, something he said to convince couch-potato spectators, but which the GBC would never allow?

YUDHISTHIRA DAS BECOMES A DOUBLE AGENT

Although the GBC book offered to cooperate in the testing of their hair specimens, I doubted very much that they in fact would do so. Especially not with myself, who had published Someone Has Poisoned Me! Maybe they would take the money and control the tests themselves, but would never turn over the test results or the hair samples to anyone else. These hair samples might disappear once actual testing was discussed seriously. How could ISKCON or the suspects risk facilitating what results might come about beyond their direct control?